The Story of Henley: October 2007

Not So Happy Halloween

The things we do to our children...

Good Times at the Pumpkin Patch

Henley and I had some more fun travels this weekend. My friend Courtney's little boy, Will, had his first birthday party at a pumpkin patch in Nashville. It was so fun getting to visit with old friends and their kids. Of course, Henley got hungry the minute we got to the party, so I missed the opening of the presents, the cutting of the cake, and pretty much the whole party. But, we still got to enjoy some good company and delicious food.

These are my old roommates Lyla and Courtney with their sweet kids.
Times have changed quite a bit from our college days. I miss seeing these girls so much!

The birthday boy and his Mommy

Will is really enjoying his party food!

We even got to see our good friends-- Virginia and Henry Huddleston
Aren't they the cutest pumpkins you have ever seen?

We got to stay with Lyla and her TWO girls, Lilly and Mamie. It was fun and crazy with a house full of girls! Lilly was my big helper getting Henley ready for the party.

Hopefully, we can all get together again soon!

Who does she look like?

People have been asking the age old question, "Who does she look like?" People who see Henley in person believe she is a good mix between both of us, but this is not the same opinion in the blogging world. Most people have commented she looks mostly like Justin, so I felt I needed to provide some proof that she is, in fact, my daughter too. Do you really think I would let Justin get all the credit? When I was home a couple of weeks ago, I came across an old picture of me from October '78 when I was 3 months old.
I apologize for the nudity...

Casey October 1978

Henley October 2007

Okay, okay-- I know I purposely tried to get Henley in the same pose to show the undeniable similarities, so don't let this skew your opinion. But, what do you think?

2 Months

After 2 months, Henley continues to be the sweetest thing I have ever seen, even when she cries for an hour straight. Justin and I still stare at our little miracle in awe of her cuteness.

Henley had her 2 month check-up last week, and the Doctor said everything looked great. I really don't know how she was able to examine her, because she cried the entire time. She is 75th percentile for length and 50-75th for weight. She got her first shots, and she cried so hard that there was actually no sound coming out of her mouth. It was pitiful.

I can already tell she is going to be a tomboy, because she detests being dressed up. Every time I try to get a photo of her all fancied up she just won't have it. She just refuses to smile while wearing a dress (as shown in above picture). This could pose a problem for me, considering I planned on putting a dress on her everyday even to go to the grocery. That's just the way I am.

Her current favorite hobby is playing on her mat. She loves seeing herself in the mirror and watching the light, flickering star that plays music. But, I think she is most at ease just chillin' on her changing table and looking around the room. At the moment, her best trick is rolling from her stomach to her back. Our stubborn, little sweetheart mastered this trick in pure hatred of "tummy time." Sometimes, I feel like she talks back to me when I talk to her in a very, HIGH pitched voice, which I never thought I would do. I guess many people would call this a "coo."

All I can say is--She makes us so proud!

The Big Flip

Henley actually rolled over 2 weeks ago, but Justin didn't believe me. Now we have proof.

Fall Break Adventures

Our Fall break was the week of Henley's debut. We travelled to Chattanooga with various stops along the way to visit family and friends. Many people drove and flew great distances to meet Miss Henley.

It was a winning weekend in the Fox household. My brother, "BIG Gavin Fox," plays high school football, and he had a big game last weekend. They played their longtime rival, and won after going into overtime. It was a very exciting game that, sadly, Henley had to miss. MeMaw and PawPaw babysat Henley, and I'm sure MeMaw and Henley shared lots of secrets. Unbelievably, the same weekend UT beat Georgia which in our family is a big deal! Henley was dressed in her favorite orange outfit for the big day. Maybe it was good luck.

Uncle Gavin, Henley, and Poppy enjoy the weekend victories.

My Aunt Linda drove in all the way from South Carolina to meet Miss Henley. We had such a great time playing with Henley and watching football all weekend!

Henley Meets her Great-Grandparents!

I think my Grandmother come the farthest to meet Henley. She came all the way from the Florida Keys! Henley enjoyed spending the week with her Great-Grandma!

My Mom, Aunt Teresa, Henley, and Grandma (But, now Great-Grandma)

We drove through White Bluff, TN so Henley could meet Justin's Grandfather. He is so funny, and said he would "whoop" Henley if she was bad.

Henley with "Old PawPaw"

Henley and I drove to Atlanta to meet Stella B! She is so beautiful! She is 3 weeks younger than Henley, so they were instant friends. Ada and I took the girls to eat dinner, and they were perfect. When I say "perfect" that means they slept through everything. It was hilarious putting the car seats in the back of my parents tiny Prius. Unfortunately, the end of the visit wasn't so perfect. Henley had a small crying fit before we left (as seen in picture), and poor, little Stella didn't know what to think of her new friend. She was so sweet, and I don't think I heard her make a peep. We still had a wonderful time, and I hope we can do it more often in the future.

Henley even got to meet all of her cousins. Justin's brother's family drove in from Johnson City, and they have very busy schedules with four kids, so it was so great to see them. MeMaw and PawPaw are the proud grandparents of SEVEN grandchildren, so family gatherings are very exciting! MeMaw had lots of fun activities for the kids, including painting pumpkins, visiting the zoo, and taking a fun ride on land and water through downtown Chattanooga. Henley wasn't quite old enough to participate in the activities, but she really enjoyed meeting all of her cousins!

From left to right: John, Luke, PawPaw, Jancey, Blake, Riley, Peyton, MeMaw, and Henley